Canadian goalball veterans count on '6th sense' as they seek elusive medal at Tokyo Paralympics

Amy Burk and Whitney Bogart have an on-court chemistry that transcends sight, sound and touch. They have an innate sense of where the other is on the floor during a game of goalball, the sport for visually impaired athletes in which they will compete for Canada at next week's Tokyo Paralympics.

They also have a sense of how the other is feeling, Burk said, the kind of bond that could only develop in 15 years and hundreds of hours together with Team Canada. As they chase the podium together for what might be the last time, that bond could be a crucial advantage.

"We don't have to talk at all during a game," said Burk, 31, the team captain originally from Charlottetown, P.E.I., who is also one of the world's top offensive players. "It's crazy. It pretty much is like a sixth sense." 

Burk and Bogart joined Team Canada in 2005, hoping to add to the consecutive Paralympic gold medals their predecessors won in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. 

They have been chasing a Paralympic medal ever since, always falling short. 

And while the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in their training plans, the Tokyo Paralympics are still a promising opportunity for Bogart to retire on a high note.

"Tokyo may be my last Paralympics, so I have been putting everything into it," said Bogart, 35, from Marathon, Ont. "As much as the games being postponed was rough, we have taken this year to give everything, and to do everything we need, to be able to get that medal in Tokyo." 

Goalball is a sport exclusively for athletes with visual impairments, and one of only two Paralympic sports for which there is no Olympic equivalent. 

Athletes play on a surface the size of a volleyball court, with soccer-style nets at either end that span the width of the court. They score by hurling a ball into the net with a bowling motion, and defend by blocking opponents' shots with their bodies. 

All players wear black-out eyeshades to ensure a level playing field, and the ball — roughly the size of a basketball and weighing 1.25 kilograms — has bells inside it to help players locate it during play. There are also tactile markings on the court to help athletes orient themselves. 

Goalball is played in complete silence, but cheering is permitted during stoppages in play, including after a goal is scored and after saves on penalty shots.

"I think we're going to shock to a few people," said Trent Farebrother, head coach of Team Canada. "Our strength is more of our offensive play, but we've really worked hard on revamping and coordinating our defensive alignment and positioning." 

Canada won bronze at the 2019 Parapan Am Games in Lima, Peru, and finished just outside the medals with a fourth-place finish at the 2018 world championships in Malmo, Sweden. 

Burk was on maternity leave for the world championships, providing an opportunity for rookie Emma Reinke (St. Thomas, Ont.) to step up in a big way. Reinke finished third in scoring at the tournament with 24 goals, and will be a key part of the Canadian attack in Tokyo. 

This year's Paralympic team is an even mix of veterans and newcomers, with Meghan Mahon (Timmins, Ont.) returning to the club for her second Games, and rookies Brieann Baldock (Edmonton, Alta.) and Maryam Salehizadeh (Vancouver, B.C.), rounding out the roster.

"It's been a journey, and I'm so so excited for it," Baldock said, citing Burk and Bogart as two of her mentors.

"We're going to go into the competition leaning on the veterans," Farebrother said. "How we're doing will depend on how much the other players will get to play … we're there to win, so we will go with whoever's performing best."

He views Brazil, Turkey and a group of athletes representing the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) as the top competition in Tokyo, but noted several other nations are also podium threats.

"There's eight or nine teams that could medal," he said.

Canada competes in Pool A with RPC, Australia, China and Israel. Pool B features Turkey, Brazil, Egypt, the United States and Japan.

"I think our mindset is where it needs to be," Burk said. "I think our team fully believes in our goal. Everyone has full confidence in each other, and our whole mental state right now is so much better than what it used to be." 

"I think that's what kind of held us back before," she said. "Yes, we have the the ability to play against those bigger teams, but we always lacked the mental side of the game." 

As ever, Burk and Bogart are on the same wavelength when it comes to Paralympic expectations.

"This is probably the year I want it the most, out of my past two Games," Bogart said. "I don't know, there's something about Tokyo … I want that medal."